such a long time. It sounded like a nice change of pace.
“Sure. We’ll meet here. We’ll go to a theater in Charlotte. Obviously there are none in this town.” He leaned down and kissed her on the bridge of her nose, high up between her eyes. “Go enjoy your dinner. Have fun. I’ll walk you out.”
He offered her his hand to lead her through the kitchen maze and out the back door. They walked side by side down the driveway to the car. He opened the door for her. He was about to tuck her into the car when he looked up and saw Miss Gracie out on her front porch looking their direction. Without thinking, he dove into the bushes.
It was the second time in one day. He was standing there talking with her one minute and gone the next. This was dangerously close to becoming a habit. And she might have laughed, if it had been someone else’s story, if it wasn’t happening to her. Only…it was. “What the hell? Really?” She stood with her hands on her hips.
Slowly, he peeked out of the bushes, leaned out, and looked around. “Is she still out there?” He whispered loudly.
“Is who out where?” She asked, clearly irritated. “Listen, I don’t have time for this. You can stay in my bushes. I’m going to meet Keely for dinner. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night…assuming we’re still on for the movie.” She looked at him. He peered out at her. “Are we still on for the movie?”
He sighed. “Yes, we’re still on for the movie.”
She all but growled as she opened the door of the Escape and hopped behind the wheel. He had sighed. One minute he wanted to spend time with her, the next minute he was sighing. She shook her head in frustration. It really didn’t matter. Soon they would have a break from each other. She would be back in Vermont. He would be here.
When she reached Hope House, she was feeling slightly better. It was hard to be angry when the sky was a rich blue velvet shade simply littered with stars. And planets. In all honesty she wouldn’t know the difference. Oh, a plane. That she recognized.
As she walked up the steps she could feel the warmth of Hope House welcoming her. It didn’t hurt that Keely was standing near the door ready to greet her. “I was watching for you,” she laughed. “I thought we might try something different tonight.” She was so excited about this dinner plan, that there was no way that Marti would have ever been able to say no to her.
“What did you want to do?” She asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
“Fondue!” She squealed. “I found a couple of recipes for fondue that I have been dying to try. I cut up some apples and bread and carrots for the cheddar fondue. I have this special white wine and chicken stock fondue recipe for cooking the chicken and shrimp in. And then…the standard chocolate fondue for dessert. If I do it right, it should taste like we’re dipping strawberries and pound cake in fudge!” She was clapping her hands together as she spoke.
“You know what?” Marti said honestly. “That sounds really good. And it won’t just be a meal; it will be an event.”
They spent the next two hours in the kitchen, eating dinner in courses off the big stainless steel prep table. While the food was exceptional, it was the conversation that Marti would remember even more vividly. As they had begun to dip into the dessert fondue, Keely finally opened up about something that was obviously on her mind. “So, what’s going on with you and Joe?” She asked seriously.
“Nothing…really…I guess,” Marti responded with a shrug. “He’s one of my few friends in New Hope. He is showing me the ropes, remodeling my house, and helping me cope with the divorce and all the changes my new marital status entail.”
“And is one of those changes getting used to sleeping with other men?” She raised a blond eyebrow with her question.
“We didn’t sleep together. We haven’t slept together. We just..”
“Came damn close from what I’ve heard.” She stabbed a hunk of pound cake and dunked it in the warm chocolate. “I like you, Marti. I like Joe. I don’t want you to get hurt. Do you understand?”
She set her skewer down. “No. No, I don’t understand. I don’t know why everyone cares. I don’t know why people keep warning me. Maybe